The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum today announced that a group from the Virginia chapter of the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution will visit the Presidential Library on Saturday, October 24, at 10:30 a.m. The children are participating in a national contest to determine which state organization learns the most about the United States Presidency by exploring Presidential Libraries. The group will be honored to hear from WWPL President and CEO Don W. Wilson, former Archivist of the United States and one of the foremost experts on Presidential Libraries in the country. Dr. Wilson will speak to the children about what makes the WWPL unique and how it is different from the federal Presidential Library system. In addition, the group will tour President Wilson’s Birthplace and the Woodrow Wilson Museum, during which they will complete scavenger hunts.

A Kansas native, Dr. Wilson served as Historian and Deputy Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas. He also served as the first Director of the Gerald Ford Presidential Library in Michigan. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed Dr. Wilson as the seventh Archivist of the United States. He was confirmed by the United States Senate, and held the position until 1993. As Archivist, Dr. Wilson oversaw the National Archives and Records Administration, which has custody of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Emancipation Proclamation. He then served as Executive Director of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, where he was responsible for the establishment and development of that Presidential Library.

The National Society of the Children of the American Revolution (CAR) is the nation’s oldest and largest patriotic youth organization. It offers membership to anyone under the age of 21, lineally descended from someone who rendered material aid to the cause of American Independence as a soldier, sailor, civil officer, or recognized patriot in one of the several Colonies or States, or of the United States.

For questions about the CAR visit, contact Barbara L. Wimble, Manager of Visitor Services, at (540) 885-0897, ext. 106, or at bwimble@woodrowwilson.org.

For more information about the CAR, visit the website at www.nscar.org.

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Wilson was president throughout World War I. He attempted to keep America out of the war and even won reelection with the slogan "He kept us out of war." Nonetheless, after the sinking of the Lusitania, continued run-ins with German submarines, and the release of the Zimmerman Telegram, America became involved. with the Lusitania, the continued harassment of American ships by German submarines, and the release of the Zimmerman Telegram meant that America joined the allies in April, 1917.

Woodrow Wilson was President when the 19th amendment was ratified in 1920 giving women the right to vote.

Wilson piloted the ship that brought America onto the world stage. He made the first steps of leading us out of isolationism, violating Washington's tenet of avoiding foreign entanglements.

He led America during World War I. His fervent hope was for the US to join a League of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations.

A Woodrow Wilson Quote: "Life does not consist in thinking, it consists in acting."

A Woodrow Wilson Quote: "The Constitution was not made to fit us like a straitjacket. In its elasticity lies its chief greatness."

A Woodrow Wilson Quote: "I believe in democracy because it releases the energies of every human being."

The Seventeenth Amendment was formally adopted on May 31, 1913. Wilson had been president for almost three months at the time. The amendment provided for the direct election of senators. Prior to its adoption, Senators were chosen by state legislatures.

Wilson was the first president to receive a PhD which he got in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University. He had received his undergraduate degree from the College of New Jersey, renamed Princeton University in 1896.

Woodrow Wilson could not read during the first decade of his life. Though undiagnosed, he may have suffered from a learning disability

Woodrow Wilson was known as "Tommy" until his college years.

Woodrow Wilson during his boyhood, helped establish the "Lightfoot Baseball Club" with his friends. Wilson played second base and was an avid sport fan throughout his adult life.

Woodrow Wilson was the first president to attend the Major League Baseball Fall Classic. He saw the debut of a young 20 year old pitcher by the name of George Herman "Babe" Ruth.

Woodrow Wilson was a graduate of Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University and the only president to hold an earned doctoral degree.

Woodrow Wilson image is on the $100,000 bill although it is no longer in circulation